


The fire's out but still it burns

by furious_hope



Series: Flares [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Death, F/F, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:21:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21725926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/furious_hope/pseuds/furious_hope
Summary: Emmeline Vance mourns.
Relationships: Emmeline Vance & Original Female Character, Emmeline Vance/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Flares [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1565818
Kudos: 1





	The fire's out but still it burns

Magical pyres were always less long lasting then normal ones, Emmeline Vance thought dispassionately. Not that she’d seen many non-magical pyres, but it was something about the strength of the Incendio spell. The wood burnt more fiercely, but for a shorter time. She could feel that she was going to start crying properly in a minute, but for now she was just blankly thinking about Magical Theory. Thalia was dead. She’d had tea with her last week, and Thalia had been worried that Emmeline was going to get herself killed. Hah. She’d made one of her soft voiced arguments about how it wasn’t Emmeline’s responsibility, that she was putting herself at risk. Thalia always argued from emotion. They always called her an honorary ‘Puff in the Tower, and laughed at her good-heartedly. 

Finally, Emmeline had gotten frustrated and pointed out that she was Muggleborn and thus already pretty at risk. Thalia had conceded the point, blinking slowly. She was so ridiculously good-looking that sometimes it hurt to look at her. But Emmeline was never going to wreck one of the best things in her life, the bedrock that was their friendship for the sake of something that wasn’t even important. She loves Thalia, the how didn’t really matter. Thalia’s gone now, and there’s a howling in the centre of her chest. And it’s not for some possible romance. It’s for a thousand sunny mornings of tea and laughter, and blobs of ink on their faces from last minute scribbled Arithmacy homework in bed the night before. It’s the way Thalia had been loving her new job and her new colleagues, and the fact that she was twenty-four and it made no sense, and part of Emmeline had wanted to bury herself in Necromancy when she heard, had wanted to summon the darkest magics, had wanted to spit in the face of the universe, and only one thing had stopped her. 

They’d had lots of late night theory conversations about magic, the wonder of it, which was new to Emmeline, and still amazing to Thalia. Emmeline had talked about death magic. Thalia had shivered. Then, she’d changed the conversation to something else, burbling enthusiastically about the potential of Rugart’s Formula. No promises, no rejection, just a quiet little shiver had told Emmeline everything she needed to know about her shy friend’s thoughts. Hence, the pyre. Emmeline had organised the funeral, given Thalia’s dad had died two years before. She watched the flames silently. Too late now, she thought, staring into the flickering light. Too late to give into her mind's clamours to try anything, everything to bring Thalia back. Everyone knew fire consumed. 

Once the fire began to die, everyone increased their sideways glances at her. It had been a long funeral, but not exactly filled with mourners, just a few Ravenclaw classmates who felt it was appropriate, some colleagues, and a handful of distant relatives. They were waiting to leave, she thought, and finally anger seized her. But she just stared at the flames until they finally guttered out. Then she swept away without a word to anyone. She heard one of the great uncles sputtering about rudeness, but she didn’t really give a damn. Thalia was gone, and all was left behind was a great howling, and Emmeline’s eyes were dry. She kept walking.


End file.
